About this book

Language: Contributions in either English or French with trilingual summaries in English, French, and German

From the introduction:

"The Lower Bajocian (Middle Jurassic: approximately 170 million years) strata are the youngest marine deposits exposed on the Luxembourg territory. The fossils recovered from these strata document diversified palaeo-habitats including rich vertebrate and invertebrate faunas. The development of a Bahama-type carbonate platform witnessed important turnovers in palaeo-biodiversity within the global framework of evolutionary changes. Examples are found within the cephalopod record, with the ammonite family Graphoceratidae superseded by the Sonninidae and Stephanoceratidae. The ammonite record and stratigraphic distribution in the lower part of the Early Bajocian of Luxembourg is outlined for the first time in the study by D. Sadki, R. Weis and R. Haas. Microscopic teeth of bony and cartilaginous fish retrieved from sediment sieving residues reveal the presence of modern-type sharks and of groups with a yet poorly understood geological history (e.g. Chimaeras). The faunal spectrum presented in the study by D. Delsate and R. Felten is a first major step towards a better understanding of these fish assemblages which are yet to unveil many of their secrets. Echinoderms, although not at the focus of public awareness, are of outstanding importance for the exploration of ancient marine environments. Their evolutionary history is a promising playground for furtherreaching studies, especially since many of the groups known from the Jurassic still occur in present-day oceans. New insights in this respect are provided by the contributions of B. Thuy and L. Numberger-Thuy and B. Thuy on echinoderms and in particular ophiuroids.

The study of Lower Bajocian fossils from Luxembourg furthermore exemplifies the outstanding collaboration between professional and amateur scientists that arose in the course of the last few decades. Most of the specimens studied in the present volume were discovered and provided by scientific volunteers of the MNHNL, in particular during the 1984 field work campaign at the Rollesberg section near Differdange. Among the most notable outcomes of this collaboration was the palaeontological and mineralogical compendium of the Bajocian strata exposed in the Rumelange-Ottange quarry, published in 2005.

In this respect, the present volume is yet another step in the exploration of the Luxembourg palaeontological heritage as part of the global research on Jurassic biodiversity and ecosystems."